James Luisi

Acting

Biography

A native New Yorker, James Luisi attended St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights on a basketball scholarship. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He then played one season (1953-54) with the Baltimore Bullets in the National Basketball Association. His acting career began on the stage with early parts coming in the Broadway musicals "Sweet Charity" and "Zorba". His early movies were minor, though his "beefcake" appeal was evident in 1973's I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973) in which he rarely wore a shirt. Most of his later work was on TV. In 1976 he shared a "best actor" daytime Emmy for playing George Washington in a daytime drama special titled First Ladies Diaries: Martha Washington (1975). Also in 1976 he started his four-season role as Jim Rockford's (James Garner) nemesis Lt. Chapman in The Rockford Files (1974). In 1983 he played the cop in charge of some street-gang-members-turned-undercover-agents in the short-lived series The Renegades (1983), which provided a boost for Patrick Swayze, who played one of the gang members. Along with guest spots on numerous TV shows, Luisi also appeared in the soap operas Days of Our Lives (1965) and Another World (1964). In the 1990s he returned to acting in and directing stage work in the Los Angeles area. Stricken with cancer he passed away on 7 June 2002 and is survived by his wife of 41 years, the former Georgia Phillips.

Filmography Movies

Acting

MOVIE

Star 80

6.5(0.1K)

Paul Snider is a narcissistic, small time hustler who fancies himself a ladies man. His life changes when he meets Dorothy Stratten working behind the counter of a Dairy Queen. Under his guidance Dorothy grows to fame as a Playboy Playmate. But when Dorothy begins pursuing an acting career, the jealous Paul finds himself elbowed out of the picture by more famous men.

Murphy's Law

6.1(0.2K)

A tough police detective escapes from custody after being framed and arrested for the murder of his ex-wife, and must now find the real killer and prove his innocence.

The Hidden

6.9(0.5K)

When average, law-abiding citizens suddenly turn to a life of hedonistic behavior and violent crime, Detective Tom Beck is tasked with helping young FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher determine the cause.

Fade to Black

5.6(0.1K)

A shy, lonely film buff embarks on a killing spree against those who browbeat and betray him, all the while stalking his idol, a Marilyn Monroe lookalike.

Future Cop

7.5(0.0K)

A veteran street cop is assigned a new partner. The partner is not exactly what he seems to be, though--he is an experimental android who has been programmed by the police lab.

Killer's Delight

4.4(0.0K)

A detective tracks a serial killer through San Francisco.

I Escaped from Devil's Island

5.0(0.0K)

In 1916, a group of prisoners plot their escape from the notorious fortress located in French Guiana.

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I Escaped from Devil's Island

Dazzas

The Man from IndependenceMOVIE

MOVIE

The Man from Independence

Not rated yet

The Story of Harry S. Truman as he begins his political career in 1929.

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The Man from Independence

Stranger

MOVIE

Moment by Moment

3.6(0.0K)

Trisha Rawlings, a Beverly Hills socialite suffering from loneliness following the separation from her womanizing husband, develops a May–December romance with a young drifter named Strip.

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Moment by Moment

Dan Santini